How to use Social Networking Sites to Market your Properties
(Part 1 of a Multi-Part Series on Social Networking)

The use of Social Networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, and many others have expanded in popularity over the past few years. Despite this, many real estate professionals still do not understand the importance of using them in their business, instead, thinking of them as mere toys for children and teenagers something that a business professional is far to busy to contend with. This cannot be any farther from the truth; today’s real estate market isn’t the same thing our parents once knew. More and more, properties are sold through networking which in today’s internet connected world means these very social networking sites I speak of. Because of this, the local classifieds are having less and less of an influence in the movement of properties. Basically, it's pretty simple, get connected or get to the back of the line.

To begin with I want to explain that Social Networking is not to be confused with a variant called Social Bookmarking, which I will cover in the coming weeks. Wikipedia defines a Social Networking Site as “[a] service [that] uses software to build online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others." For many of us I am sure this doesn’t make the issue any clearer, and honestly that is part of the problem. The individuals who are part of this world are usually not very forthcoming in explaining its nuances to the uninitiated.

Which brings us to the purpose of this article and that is to explain, in layman's terms, just how these systems work and more importantly WHY YOU SHOULD BE USING THEM to attract more buyers and sellers!

Just about every real estate investor, agent, broker, consultant, etc. regularly attend local networking meetings. Many are held at local restaurants over a lunch or dinner. Many of these meetings have the same general premise: each person is allotted a 5 to 6 minute slot where he or she stands up, introduces himself, and makes a ‘pitch’. These ‘pitches’ are either I have 'X' to sell, or I need 'X'.

The online world is no different. You generate an online presence, a page where you display your wares and list your needs. Many of these sites also have online ‘Clubs’ that function just like the clubs you joined to attend the meetings at the local restaurant. The only difference is, since they are in cyberspace, geographical or scheduling constraints tend to no longer be an issue.

Before we get to talking about creating an online presence there are some important points that I want to go over.

1. No hard selling - Yes, social networking sites can help you market your properties, but it is not for direct selling. The fastest way to anger prospective clients is to bombard them with high-pressure sales material. A well-placed advertisement for a product or service that is relevant to the conversation is perfectly fine, just avoid the "in your face" kind of approach and you will be okay.

2. KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) - Keep your details and explanations to a bare bones minimum but at the same time make them logical and to the point. Bulleted lists are infinitely more effective than paragraphs of long explanations. You are not trying to be Steven King here. You want to immediately grab their attention and keep it. Think "short attention span theatre". That is your crowd. People surfing the net are very quick to click the back button if they cannot figure out what it is you are trying to say literally in the first two seconds. If you are unsure as to how to write copy that appeals to this crowd, don't hesitate to find an expert who does, their creative skills are worth their weight in gold!

3. KISS (part two) - This is equally as important, do not load your page up with dozens of pretty little flash animations just because you can. Nobody ever watches this stuff and they always translate into an annoying experience for your potential customers. I like to tell my website clients that their website (believe it nor not) is really NOT for them! In reality, their website is created for their potential customers to use. People surfing the net really don't give care about fancy swirling graphics and other cool webpage tricks. Instead, they are there to find information and to see if you have something that they are interested in. While a nice looking website is always important, the ones that are clean and business like are the ones with the biggest audiences, always! Think Yahoo, Google, Microsoft. Check out their sites. They are some of the leanest and no frills sites around but guess what? They also happen to have the largest audiences on the planet! Keep this in mind when you are debating the look and functionality of your own website's design.

4. Be relevant - If you are in a club or one of the social networking sites, be sure the club is relevant to what you have to offer. Yes, Linkin Park is a top-selling rock band, with legions of fans, and yes it is hypothetically possible that one of the fans on that club is looking to buy a home, but that doesn’t mean you should post your property listings to that club. Listings like these would obviously be considered spam and frowned upon by the other club members. Instead, find clubs that are in your area and are likely places where your posting will fit in without objection.

5. Listen before you speak - This is actually part of being relevant. Be sure to read the postings in the forums of the clubs to gain a good understanding of the social etiquette of that club. Image this just like being at a party. You make conversation that fits in and you say what you have to say in a way that people at the party can relate to. A black tie dinner requires a formal approach, while attending a family reunion things tend to be a bit more relaxed. Clubs are no different.

6. Follow up - When you post an informative message, many times people will reply back with questions or comments. It is expected of you to respond back in a timely manner. Failure to do so will result in people not taking you seriously and it also looks very unprofessional, too.

Yes to this one, besides I can't write long paragraphs

Social Networking is definitely a strong marketing tool that people should be using. It gives you the potential of easily establishing relationships with others, which will give your marketing efforts a higher probability of success. Especially if you have things in common with your target prospects...

Nice writeup Steven.

HAHA

thanks, BTW - Part 2 was just posted on the forum. I am also setting a spot on http://www.realpro.info that will have an archive of my previous articles.